The Next Generation
by ScottishLaura
Summary: A fanfic about Raven and Nero's adopted kids, and how their lives turn out. Authors note inside explains a lot.
1. The Discovery and The Beginning

**A/N: Hey guys, Scottie here. This story is based on ideas from the H.I.V.E. forum, mainly ideas from Hunnybun. It turned out differently then I expected, a lot differently, but I guess I'm pretty happy with it. I'm struggling for a title as well, so this was the best I could come up with… Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this, and review and let me know what you think, and if I should keep writing this. **

**-Scottie**

The young pair of children didn't even look as they ran across the road. London streets were second nature to them. The boy turned, and shot a quick look at the man from the orphanage that was chasing them. He smiled. The man had no chance of catching them, and yet, he was getting closer.  
"Alina, run! He's catching up!" The girl turned to her brother and nodded, then picked up speed. The boy followed suit, and soon the man was just a blot in the distance. Alina turned back to her brother.  
"Well, looks like we're safe again, Roman." He smiled.  
"Maybe we should keep moving, just in case the police are called." Alina nodded.  
"Let's go." They turned and continued running down the long alleyway they were standing in. Alina ran ahead, turning a corner. Roman suddenly heard a cry of fright, then what he immediately knew as Alina in pain. He sprinted around the corner, and jumped in shock when he saw a small, lean woman standing over Alina's still body. Roman took up a defensive stance, but was easily swatted to the ground. The woman spoke.  
"I think that's the last time you two are running away from that orphanage."  
"What did you do to my sister?" Roman croaked. The woman smiled, and brought a hand down to his head. He felt the moist trickle of blood, and then he blacked out.

"Mum?" There was no response. "Mum!"  
"What is it, Alina?"  
"Roman stole my pencil!"  
"Roman, did you steal her pencil?" Roman smiled.  
"No. She dropped it." Raven raised an eyebrow.  
"Do you want me to call Daddy?" Roman's face dropped.  
"No! I stole her pencil."  
"Are you going to give it back?" He smiled again.  
"No." Raven raised her eyebrow again.  
"Roman, either you give Alina her pencil back or you can go without your trucks for a week. OK?" Roman's lip quivered.  
"But, but-"  
"No buts. It's your choice." He burst out in tears.  
"Mummy, that's not fair!" Alina giggled quietly. Raven shot her a look.  
"Roman, you choose or you can go to your room." His crying softened. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pencil.  
"Take the stupid pencil. I don't want it, anyway." He stood up and waddled from the room. Alina had picked up the pencil while Roman was leaving and had quietly resumed her drawing.  
"What are you drawing, sweetie?" She looked up.  
"It's a tree!" Raven smiled.  
"It's very good. Now, come on, it's lunch time." Alina put her pencil down and stood up. She reached up to Raven, and Raven bent over, and picked the young girl up. Alina giggled.  
"I love you, Mummy!" Raven smiled.  
"I love you too, sweetie." Alina began playing with loose strands of Ravens hair, and Raven smiled, walking towards the kitchen. She sat Alina down, placing a plate of sandwiches cut into quarters in front of her.  
"I'm just going to go and get your brother, and then I'll be back. OK?" Alina nodded, and began eating her sandwich. Raven left, glancing briefly over her shoulder at the young girl, her attention fully occupied with the food in front of her.  
"Roman, lunch is ready." Raven walked into the boy's room. "Roman?" She saw a slight movement underneath Roman's bed. She smiled, and began playing along.  
"Hmm, I wonder where Roman has gone." She walked over to the wardrobe. "Did he get eaten by the wardrobe?" She swung the door open. "Not in here. Where else could he be?" Roman giggled from his hiding place. "Hmm, is he in his bed?" She pulled the blanket and sheets off his bed. "No, not here. Where could he be?" She dropped to her knees. "Here he is!" She reached under the bed and withdrew the small boy, rolling him onto his back.  
"Aw, you found me, mummy!" Raven grinned. She gently began tickling the boy on his stomach. The boy curled up into a ball, laughing. Soon Raven began to tickle him all over, and he was in a fit of laughter, screaming with joy. After a minute or two, Raven stopped and rolled the boy onto his back again.  
"It's lunch time, hunny." Roman smiled, and reached up towards Raven, exactly the same way as his twin sister had only minutes before. Raven smiled, and picked him up.  
"What's for Lunch, Mummy?"  
"Sandwiches." Roman smiled. Raven walked to the table, and sat him down, before placing the sandwiches on the table in front of him.  
"Thank you Mummy." Roman smiled, and then turned to the food. The pair finished at nearly the same time, and as Roman climbed down from the table, he had crumbs all over his face. Raven called him over.  
"But mum, I want to go and play trucks!" Raven smiled.  
"You can in a minute," she answered patiently, "just let me wipe your face, first." Roman sighed, but obligingly stood still. A moment later, he was allowed to go. He ran back towards his room, his arms out wide, pretending to be an aeroplane. Alina was already walking to her room where her drawing awaited her. The phone rang. Raven sighed, and put the plates she was carrying down. She picked it up.  
"Hello?"  
"Natalya." Raven smiled. She would recognise that voice anywhere.  
"Max. Pleasure to hear from you."  
"Honey, it turns out G.L.O.V.E. has a mission for you." Raven smiled. She heard a cry of laughter from one of the twins' rooms, and she frowned."  
"But Max, what about the kids?" On the other end of the phone, Nero smiled. He turned his ring over in his fingers a few times.  
"Don't worry about the kids, honey, I've got as long off as we need until you finish." Raven frowned.  
"I don't know. They're still young." Nero frowned.  
"Natalya, it's apparently an important mission. They need you on this one. Besides, how long could it possibly take? A few weeks at the most?" Raven smiled. Nero always had a way of convincing her.  
"OK. But you have to tell the kids when I'm suddenly gone." Nero smiled.  
"Sure. They said they want you to start next week, so you'd better get organised." Raven smiled. She was back in the business.


	2. The Return and The Hurt

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in yonks, I've been busy with other fanfics **** You need to bug me about updating ****  
Anyway, just so there's no confusion, this chapter is set six years after the first, so Roman (who now goes by Leo (all is explained next chapter)) and Alina are now eleven **** This chapter took a while to write, so I hope you all like it!  
-ScottishLaura**

"Leo, come on, you'll be late for school again! It's bad enough you're sitting detention this afternoon, let alone being late every single day." Leo shrugged.  
"I'm not the one that wants to go to school." He gestured towards Alina who was sitting at the table, ready for school, her school bag at her feet. Nero shook his head.  
"Leo, I want you ready in three minutes, or I'll drag you to school in whatever you're wearing." Leo shrugged again.  
"Eh. I'll get over it." Nero rolled his eyes, and pointed to Leo's room.  
"Go. Now." For once, Leo obeyed. He knew when his dad was at the end of his temper. Two and a half minutes later, he emerged from his room, school uniform on, minus the tie. Nero sighed.  
"Leo, tie."  
"Lost it." Nero groaned.  
"Alina, honey, can you go and see if you can find it?" Alina nodded, and sped off to Leo's room. A few moments later, she came out, tie in hand. She gave it to Nero, and sat back down again. Nero walked over to Leo, and knelt down, quickly but neatly putting it on for him.  
"OK, kids, lets go." Alina stood up, and briskly walked out the door towards the car. Leo walked slowly towards the car, dragging his feet the whole way. Just as he was about to get in the car, Nero closed the door, and pinned his son against the car.  
"Leo. What is wrong with you? You were a straight A student and suddenly your grades drop, you leave all your friends and go and hang out with some 'dodgy' kids. You need to buck up, mister, or I'll consider boarding school." Leo mocked surprise.  
"Oh no, not boarding school, dad, anything but that!" He tried to twist from Nero's iron grip, but failed.  
"I'm serious, Leo. I want your grades to at least a C by the time April comes around." Leo frowned.  
"April? But that's-" Nero smiled.  
"Two weeks. I know. So you'd better get a move on with that then." Leo sighed.  
"Look, Leo, I know you're a smart kid, and we raised you better then this. You can do so much better-" Leo interrupted him.  
"_We_ raised you better then this? Dad, we've hardly seen mum since we were five. The last time she was here, last year, she offered no explanation, nothing, then a month later, she was gone again." Leo sighed. Nero sighed.  
"Roman Cahill Nero. You are a good boy, and I love you very much. I can't tell you where your mother is, but I can promise you that she will come back. She loves you very much, and so do I. So can you please try? If not for me, for your mother." Leo sighed.  
"OK. I'll try." Nero smiled.  
"That's my boy." Nero wrapped his arms around Leo, and Leo wrapped his arms around his father.  
Inside the car, Alina's calm manner broke slightly. She turned and looked out the front window, quietly shaking. She knew that Leo had been arguing with the teachers at school, and she knew that his friends were not good people, and she also knew that she was going to get picked on at school again. Every day, she would be singled out. People found all sorts of reasons to pick on her, her name being 'weird', her being too skinny, too nerdy. She was too caught up in her thoughts she didn't hear Nero and Leo get in the car. Nero looked over to her.  
"Honey, are you OK?" Alina snapped out of her daydream.  
"Wha-?"  
"You're shaking. Are you feeling alright?" Alina nodded.  
"I'm fine," she lied. "I just sneezed before, that's all." Nero frowned, but let it go. In the pit of Alina's stomach, she felt that gut-wrenching feeling she felt everyday when she knew what was going to happen at school. As the car pulled out of the driveway, Alina was back in her thoughts. She knew that there would be some reason for her to be picked on today, maybe a new reason, maybe a pathetic reason. Either way, it was inevitable. She sighed. The worst thing was that Leo was one of the ones who picked on her. It wasn't as though he hated her, it was his friends, the pressure they were putting on him to be "cool". She sighed again, and looked up to see that dreaded school approaching. She saw Leo's friends waiting at the front gate, and she knew that her dad would have turned the corner before she was through it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
"Have a good day, kids!" Nero called cheerfully as the pair got out. Alina closed the door behind her, and muttered.  
"That's likely." She sighed, and started walking. She walked, staring at her feet, hoping that if she felt invisible, maybe she would be invisible. When she walked through the gates without a single snide comment thrown her way, she looked up. That was her mistake. She saw a row of boys, all taller then her standing in front of her. They all had their sleeves pulled up, and the one at the front looked angry. Alina wanted to shrink into the ground. She looked quickly down the line, her heart dropping when she saw Leo standing there, grinning. Her bottom lip quivered. The boy at the front walked up to Alina, and grabbed her tie.  
"I heard you were talking to my girlfriend yesterday." Alina didn't say anything.  
"I heard you told her that I was cheating on her." Alina frowned.  
"It wasn't me! I've never met your girlfriend! She's not in any of my classes!" The boy frowned.  
"That's not what I heard." He yanked her tie, sending her flying to the ground, her bag flying off to the side. Alina hit the ground hard on her side, feeling the bitumen against her cheek. She immediately felt the warm trickle of blood down her cheek, and onto her neck. The boy pulled her to her feet, and dragged her around a corner. He pushed her against the wall, and pushed his palm against her windpipe. Alina immediately couldn't breathe.  
"No, please, no!" Her vision went blurry as she struggled to breathe. The boy laughed and threw her to the ground, and she just lay there, panting.  
"Hey, Mark, come here for a minute!" A tall boy approached, and Alina would have groaned if she could.  
"Show this piece of trash what happens when you mess with Jacob James." Alina smiled slightly. Something bad was going to happen, that much was impossible to deny, but at least she could get something out of it.  
"Who's Jacob James?" She smiled when she saw the anger on the boys face. The boy named Mark stepped towards Alina.  
"He's Jacob James." The boy brought his foot down on Alina's head. She passed out at that point. From the back of the group of boys, Leo shuddered, but didn't speak up. Another boy joined the pack.  
"Oi, Jacob, want me to help?" Everyone turned and looked at the new arrival. It was a short boy wearing school rugby uniform and spikes. Jacob James smiled.  
"Go right ahead." The boy was shoved to the front of the group, and everyone took a step back as the boy got to work. He kicked hard and fast, leaving long scratches down Alina's side, face and back. A few moments later, he stepped back to admire his work. Alina was lying on one side, with three long scratches running the full length of her ribs, slowly staining her shirt red. She had numerous small cuts along her cheeks and forehead, her wrist and ankle were twisted to awkward angles and her shirt had lots of shreds hanging off now. The school bell went, and all the boys ran, leaving Leo on his own with Alina.  
"I'm sorry, Alina." He turned and ran, leaving his sister behind.

At recess, Alina wasn't where she had been attacked. There was no sign of her, and Leo suddenly got scared. During his first lesson after recess, Maths, there was an announcement over the speakers.  
"Staff and students, your attention please. Could Roman Nero please come to the front office immediately, that's Roman Nero to the office, thank you." The teacher just waved to Leo, and he turned and left, panicking. He arrived at the front office soon after leaving, and he looked around. He walked to the receptionist.  
"Uh, I was called over-" The lady at reception looked up.  
"Roman Nero?" Leo nodded. "Please come with me." She lead him through some offices until they were at the principals office.  
"Roman."  
"Call me Leo, please." The Principal nodded.  
"Leo. Your sister has been injured, we believe it was severe bullying, and as a result, is now in hospital." Leo gasped. "I have, however, arranged transport for you to be taken there immediately." Leo nodded. "Your father will be here shortly." Leo just nodded, and slumped back into the chair. A few moments later, the receptionist knocked at the door.  
"Your father is here, Roman." Leo nodded, and stood up, quietly thanking the Principal. He followed the receptionist to where his father was waiting. Leo looked up, and ran straight to his dad.  
"Dad!" He wrapped his arms around Nero, sobbing gently. Nero rubbed his back.  
"It's OK, Leo, she'll be fine. She'll be fine. She's a fighter, she'll get through it." Nero nodded to the receptionist and mouthed a "thank you" before prying Leo's arms from around him. He placed a hand on each of the boys shoulders, and knelt down.  
"Leo, Alina will be OK. I need you to calm down, and get in the car. We'll go straight to the hospital, OK." Leo nodded, and his sobbing subsided. Leo let himself be led from the reception to the car where he got in, put his seatbelt on and stared aimlessly out a window. Nero sighed after watching him for a few moments. He started the car, and began the drive to the hospital. The silence wasn't broken during the trip, and after Nero parked the car in the long-term parking, the pair walked through the hospital to Alina's room. She was lying in the white hospital bed, and she looked deathly pale. The cuts on her face stood out against the white, and the blue sling around her arm looked frightening. Leo was frozen standing at the door while Nero walked in and sat on a chair next to the bed. He reached out and held Alina's uninjured hand, gently rubbing it. He was gently murmuring to her, saying things, some that didn't even make sense. Leo finally moved a bit. He took a few steps into the room, taking in the surroundings. After a minute, he sat in one of the chairs scattered around the room. He sat watching Alina's steady breathing for a long time. He didn't know how long for, but soon enough, he dozed off. When he was asleep, he dreamt of the last time he had seen his mum.

_There was a knock at the door. Alina and Leo were eating dinner, while Nero was standing in front of the TV, lecturing the twins about why they should be doing homework instead of watching TV. Nero was distracted, and went to answer the door. He had a small conversation with the person, and then the twins heard the door close. Nero walked back in.  
"Leo, Alina, guess who's here?"  
"The ice-cream man?" Leo asked hopefully.  
"Not quite, but close enough." From around the corner, Raven stepped out. Alina squealed with delight.  
"Mummy!" She stood up and ran towards Raven, reaching out to her. Raven smiled, and picked her up, wrapping her up tight. Leo giggled, and ran towards Raven too, and she picked him up, too.  
"Wow, you two have grown! Last time I saw you, I could pick you up with one hand." Leo grinned.  
"I grew 4 centimeters last month, mummy!" Alina smiled.  
"Me too! And 5 the month before that!" Raven smiled. Nothing had changed with the twins. She gently put them down and stepped towards Nero. Nero wrapped her up tight, and gently kissed her on the cheek.  
"I missed you so much."  
"I missed you, too." Leo stuck his tongue out.  
"Eww, Mummy, Daddy, I'm trying to eat dinner, here." Raven and Nero smiled._

The dream faded. Leo sat up abruptly, looking around the room. He looked at his watch. It was after 4:00. He had slept through about 5 hours, but only remembered the single dream. He sighed, and looked around the room. Nero was sitting in the same place as before, but now there was another figure, a smaller, thinner one sitting next to him, holding both Alina's hand, and Nero's hand. Leo frowned.  
"Mum?" The figure turned around. Leo smiled, and jumped to his feet.  
"Mum! You're back!" Raven smiled, and Leo hugged her tight.  
"I'm back, Roman." Leo smiled.  
"It's Leo, mum. No one calls me Roman any more." Leo smiled.  
"Leo, then." Raven wrapped him up in a hug. "Now, are you going to sit with your sister, or sleep again?" Leo smiled.  
"I'll sit." Raven smiled, and Leo pulled a chair over. He sat for hours, watching Alina, hoping, waiting for her to wake up. At about 9:00, Raven fell asleep. A few minutes later, so did Nero. It was midnight when Leo was feeling tired. He was nodding off when he saw Alina's eye twitch. He whispered her name.  
"Alina…Alina, wake up. Please, wake up." She didn't move. A few minutes later though, her head moved, and her eyes opened.  
"Alina!" Leo breathed. She smiled.  
"Hello, worlds worst brother." Leo smiled back.  
"I'm sorry, Alina, I really am." Alina smiled.  
"Mum?" She asked quizzically. Leo's face lit up. He nodded. Alina's eyes widened.  
"Should we wake them?" Leo shook his head.  
"Not yet. Just promise me you'll wake up in the morning." Alina smiled.  
"I promise." The pair talked quietly until Alina drifted off. Leo smiled, and closed his eyes.


	3. Back Home, Or Is It?

A/N: Hi, all! I know, I know, it's been a while since I've updated, and you could all come and hunt me down for that, but, alternatively, you could all thank me for spending so long on this epic chapter? I wrote a little further then this, but I wasn't too happy with it, so I'm ending this chapter where it ends as opposed to a little longer, but we'll see how we go, hey? Anyway, I hope you guys all enjoy this installment of "The Next Generation" update!  
-ScottishLaura

It felt only moments later that Leo opened his eyes again. Raven and Nero were sitting up, holding Alina's hand again. Leo smiled.  
"She woke up, last night!" Nero smiled sadly, but shook his head.  
"Leo, she's in an induced coma. She won't wake up for a few days." Leo shook his head.  
"No. She promised! She said she'd wake up in the morning." Leo started sobbing quietly. He reached for Alina's hand, and he gently began stroking it.  
"You promised, Alina." He whispered. "You promised me." He put his head on the edge of the bed, and continued sobbing. A while later, when the room had fallen silent again, Leo heard movement. He looked up to see Alina's head moving again. He smiled. He reached across and poked his dad.  
"See, she promised. She promised she'd wake up." A few minutes later, Raven was awake and watching her too. Moments later, Alina's eyes began to open. Leo smiled.  
"I told you she woke up, and she promised. She never breaks her promises." Leo smiled. Raven leant forwards slightly, gently stroking Alina's hand. The girl was slowly opening her eyes, her eyelids flittering. Almost as if on cue, Alina's head rolled slightly, she took a deep breath, and she opened her eyes. Raven let out a sigh of relief, as did Nero. Leo just stayed sitting there, watching her.  
"Alina." Raven breathed a sigh of relief, and wrapped her up in a hug. Nero watched, and then when Raven moved back, he wrapped her up in a hug. Leo didn't move to hug her, and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He knew immediately that it was guilt. He looked down to his feet. A few moments later, he realised someone was calling his name. He looked up.  
"Do you want some breakfast, Leo?" He just nodded, and then continued staring at his feet. Nero stood up and left the room.  
"I'll be back soon," he called out. Raven was quietly talking to Alina, and Leo was still sitting, staring at his feet. A few minutes later, a Doctor came in and asked for Raven and Leo to step outside briefly so that he could check up on Alina. Raven grudgingly stood, and Leo slowly followed. Outside, Raven began asking Leo about his name.  
"Why did you drop Roman?" Leo shrugged.  
"It was weird, and people were getting into the habit of confusing me with Leo." Raven looked confused. "You know, that toy lion I used to drag everywhere?" Raven nodded.  
"Fair enough." Leo smiled.  
"Where've you been, mum? We haven't seen you for ages, and you only come back when Alina's in hospital?" Raven sighed.  
"Leo, I wish more then anything that I could come back home with you guys, but I can't. I'm in the middle of something really important." Leo sighed.  
"The middle? So what, you're not coming back again until we're like, 17 or something?" Raven sighed.  
"That's not- Well y- but not-" Leo sighed.  
"Don't worry about it. I didn't expect a straight answer after all these years, anyway." He walked off down the hall, but stopped after about 10 metres. He leant against the wall, and folded his arms, stubbornly refusing to look at his mum. Nero walked down the hall moments later, containers of food in his arms. He shifted it all to one arm as he walked past Leo, and then offered his hand. Leo looked up and took it, plodding back to Alina's room next to Nero. Raven sighed as she walked in. The Doctor had wanted a word with the family, but Leo didn't want to listen, so he curled up into a ball and tried to sleep a little bit. The next thing he knew, he was being woken up by someone.  
"Leo? Leo, come on, honey, time to go home." Leo frowned.  
"What? Already?" A strong but gentle arm pulled him to his feet.  
"Come on, Leo. We're going home now." Leo groaned.  
"No, I wanna sleep."  
"You can sleep in the car. Come on."  
"Where's Alina?"  
"She's coming with us. Don't worry. We're all going home now, you can sleep in your bed soon." Leo finally opened his eyes slightly, and peered up at Nero.  
"Dad?" Nero looked to his son.  
"Yes, Leo?"  
"When we get home, I have to tell you something. It's important." Nero nodded.  
"OK. When we get home and you've had a proper sleep, you can tell me. OK?" Leo nodded. Alina was now standing up next to her bed. Her arm was still in a sling, and the gauze over the scratches covering her ribs had been replaced. Raven was standing at the door talking to a Doctor, and Nero had just moved to help Alina. When she walked past Leo, he smiled.  
_"I'm sorry," _Leo mouthed.  
_"I know. I forgive you."_ She mouthed back. Leo smiled.

The next morning when Leo had woken up, Alina was still fast asleep in her room. Raven had already left, which upset Leo a little bit, but he just had to be glad that he had seen her again. Nero was sitting at the table with a mug of coffee sitting in front of him, newspaper in hand. Leo clambered up onto the seat next to him.  
"Morning, Leo. Did you sleep OK?" Leo simply nodded.  
"Hey dad?" Leo asked, looking up to Nero, straight into his eye. "You know how I wanted to tell you something last night?" Nero nodded, but didn't say anything, so Leo continued. "It's about Alina. You know how the school thinks that it was severe bullying or something as the reason Alina was bashed?" Nero raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Well, it is. But they're my friends. It's been happening for ages, but they got violent the other day. I wanted to stand up to them, but I didn't know how." Leo began sobbing quietly. Nero slid his chair back slightly, and looked Leo in the eyes.  
"Leo?" Leo looked up, tears still filing his eyes. "I realised you probably had something to do with this, but I just wanted you to say it yourself." Leo opened his mouth to talk.  
"I didn't actually do anything, Dad, I just watched." Nero shook his head.  
"Leo, a bystander is just as bad as a bully, OK?" Leo nodded. "Now, I know you're sorry for this, and I know Alina knows you are, but, I'm still going to punish you, OK?" Leo nodded.  
"I'm sorry, Dad." He leant into his dad, and rested his head on his chest, sobbing quietly. Nero wrapped his arms around his adopted son, and gently rubbed his back until the sobbing had fallen quiet. During this minor commotion, Alina had woken up. Nero heard her sit up and cough, then she fell silent.  
"Leo, do you want to come and see how Alina is?" Leo nodded, and stood up. He wiped his eyes dry with the end of his sleeve. Nero offered his hand to Leo who took it, and walked along next to his dad into Alina's room. She was sitting up against her bed frame, reading a book. Nero knocked on the door, and Alina looked up.  
"Hey dad. Hey Leo. What's up?" Nero smiled.  
"We were just checking up on you. Are you OK?" Alina nodded.  
"Yeah. Just sore." Nero nodded. Leo smiled, and let go of his dad's hand. He raced across the room and jumped onto the edge of Alina's bed, causing it to creak.  
"Watcha reading?" Alina smiled.  
"Harry Potter." Leo smiled.  
"Haven't you read that already." Alina smiled.  
"Only a few times." Leo smiled. Nero had silently backed out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Leo and Alina alone. He pressed an ear to the door and heard the pair's gentle laughing. He smiled and, and walked back over to the newspaper and the now cold coffee. He began reading an article on the fifth page.  
"Unidentified Woman Found Dead." Nero frowned and continued reading. A woman had been found dead in an alleyway just out of town. Nero frowned again, and reached for the phone. He quickly dialed a number, and listened to the dial tone.  
"Hello?"  
"Diabolus, I need some help."  
"What can I do for you, Max?"  
"Can you come over and watch the kids for me for a few hours? There's something out of town that I need to take care of." Diabolus Darkdoom nodded.  
"Sure, Max. I'll be over in a few minutes. Is it OK if I bring Nigel along? I was halfway through tutoring him." Nero nodded.  
"Sure, that's fine. I just need someone around to keep an eye on Alina, mainly." Diabolus nodded.  
"OK. I'll be over soon."  
"Thanks again, Diabolus." Nero put down the phone and put the newspaper down. Nero sighed, and stood up. He walked back to Alina's room. Leo and Alina were now silently reading the same book, Leo reading over Alina's shoulder. Nero walked over to them, and sat down on the edge of the bed. The twins looked up.  
"Alina, Leo, I need to go out for a while, but Uncle Darkdoom and Nigel are coming over for a while, OK?" They nodded.  
"Where are you going, daddy?" Leo asked, still reading over Alina's shoulder.  
"Just out of town for a while. I'll be back this afternoon." A car door slammed outside. "That must be Uncle Darkdoom." Another slam. "And Nigel." Leo looked up.  
"Nigel's here?" Nero nodded. Leo smiled.  
"Yay!" Nero smiled, and left the pair reading. He walked to the front door. Diabolus was raising a hand to knock.  
"Good day, Diabolus, Nigel." Nigel smiled.  
"Hello, Max." Nero opened the door. "Haven't been here in a while," Diabolus grinned. Nigel stepped inside too, heaving a backpack over his shoulder.  
"I see your father's got you studying hard then, Nigel." Nigel smiled shyly.  
"No harder then at H.I.V.E.," Nigel remarked. Nero smiled.  
"You've been teaching him some comebacks, Diabolus." Diabolus grinned.  
"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. How's Alina going, by the way?" Nero shrugged.  
"She's OK. I'm not happy with Leo, but at least she'll recover soon." Diabolus nodded.  
"Well, you best be off, then, get your "thing" over and done with, then get back to your kids." Nero smiled.  
"Just give me a minute." Nero turned, and walked back into Alina's room. He sat down on the corner of the bed, and the twins looked back up to Nero again.  
"I'm going now, guys." Leo frowned.  
"Aw, but Dad," Nero leant over and picked him up, pulling him above his head; letting his legs dangle a few feet above the ground. "Put me down!" Leo giggled. Nero slowly let him drop, before suddenly letting go of him. Leo screamed before Nero caught him. Alina giggled, and Nero sat Leo down again. He leant over to Alina and hugged her tight, carefully avoiding her arm. He then stood up and turned to leave  
"Bye dad!" Leo called. Alina called after him.  
"Have fun!" Nero turned around and grinned at them.  
"You two behave for Uncle Darkdoom and Nigel, OK?"  
"We won't, Dad." The three of them grinned, and Nero turned and left the room.  
"Thanks again, Diabolus." Diabolus waved him off.  
"No problems. Now, hurry up and leave already!" Nero smiled, and turned and left. He got in the car, turned on the engine and drove off.


	4. The Escape, The Aftermath, The Pain

**A/N: Hi Guys. I'm very sorry I haven't updated anything in forever, I've been sick and busy and yeah… I am really sorry, but I'm giving you a nice large chunk now to enjoy :) So, please, enjoy, review, and I'll update again in the future at some point :)  
-ScottishLaura**

Inside, Alina and Leo seemed undisturbed. They had turned back to their book and were quietly reading again. Darkdoom peered in every now and then, but the pair hadn't shown any indication of changing what they were doing. Darkdoom turned back to Nigel.  
"OK, Nigel. What do you remember about-" Darkdoom heard a noise outside and he paused.  
"Did you hear that?" Nigel asked. Diabolus nodded.  
"You get the kids out of bed," He stood up, "into the car, and I'll be outside in a minute." Nigel nodded, and stood up. He hurried to Alina's room, and explained what was happening. Leo stood up quickly, and Alina swung her legs from the bed. She put the book down on the bedside table and stood up. Nigel stood between them, grabbing a hand and he led them from the room, hurried down the driveway and sat them in the car. A few moments later, Diabolus ran out and bolted for the car. He pulled himself in and started the car. He took off down the road, and sped off around the corner.  
"Where are we going?" Leo asked curiously.  
"To find your father." Diabolus replied stonily.  
"But didn't he just leave?" Leo asked, still curious.  
"Leo, we have to find your father, OK? It's important." Leo frowned, and sunk back into his chair. Alina was silently looking out of the window, watching the scenery flash past. She saw from the corner of her eye, two black cars speeding towards them, expertly maneuvering through the traffic.  
"Uncle Darkdoom, there are cars chasing us." Diabolus turned and looked in the side mirror. There was, in fact two cars chasing them.  
"Make sure your seatbelts are on, kids." He said, before pushing his foot harder on the accelerator, speeding off. The cars followed expertly, weaving through heavy traffic and yet still gaining on them. Diabolus began to push the car to its limits, and soon they were racing through traffic, cars seeming to be obsolete. Until they hit a red light. Diabolus knew that he couldn't get through the moving wall of cars, so he had no choice but to stop. The two speeding black cars came faster and faster until they skidded to a stop behind the car, knocking other traffic out of the way. Armed men poured from the cars, semi-automatic machine guns pointed at all the windows and doors. These people were smart. Darkdoom turned and pushed the kids heads below the window level.  
"Stay there, Leo, Alina, OK?" They nodded.  
"But what about you?" Leo asked.  
"Don't worry about us, Leo," Nigel said. "We've had practice." Leo nodded, and looked at Alina.  
"They'll be fine," she mouthed. "Trust them." Leo nodded again, and the twins huddled together below the windows. Suddenly, there was the loudest explosion they had ever heard. It rocked the car, and didn't stop. Small dents appeared in the sides of the car, in the doorframe, and Leo and Alina both began to panic. They huddled closer together, and didn't let go until the explosion had stopped.  
"Stay where you are, kids." Diabolus whispered. They didn't move. The doors were flung open, and guns aimed at them. Alina cried out in fear, and Leo hugged her tight.  
"Put your hands above your head," one man with a gun yelled. This of course caused a problem for Alina. She raised one arm above her head, but her other arm was in a sling, so she couldn't lift it up.  
"I said, put your arms above your head!" The man aimed his gun at Alina, a threatening glint in his eye. He saw the sling, and grinned. "All the better." He looked to his comrades, and three of them swarmed into the car, one of them pulling Alina out, the second forcing Leo to stay put, and the third taking careful aim at Alina. The man that was holding Alina threw her to the ground, where she stayed, without moving. Leo called out to her.  
"Alina! Alina, are you OK?" She didn't move to reply. The guard that was forcing Leo into his seat backhanded Leo across the cheek.  
"Shut it, you." Leo felt blood trickling down his face, so he didn't speak again.  
"Take him, too!" Someone called. The guard grinned, and threw Leo onto the ground next to Alina.

"Why did you bring them here?" Nero asked.  
"My daughter was in hospital. I had to come back and visit her."  
"Your daughter? Your daughter? You left when they were six, and barely visited them since! And now you bring all the soldiers that are chasing you back to us?" Raven looked down. She had no response. Suddenly, there was a crackle from the car next to the pair, and a voice blared to life through a speaker.  
"There is a car hold up on the eastbound I-47," it said. "10 armed men have surrounded the car and they appear to be attacking two of the cars passengers. It is believed the two passengers are young children, one male one female, and the female has her left arm in a sling. All units, move in." Raven turned and looked to Nero.  
"Let's go." She said, and the pair jumped in the car, the car taking off as soon as the door was closed. Raven expertly drove the car through the traffic, the speedometer never leaving 100.  
"I'm sorry I had to leave," Raven called to Nero, taking her eyes off the road for a moment.  
"Don't be. I told you about the mission." Raven smiled, and Nero reached out to her hand on the gear stick, placing it on top. Soon, Raven had reached the police barrier set up a kilometer away from the armed men. She barged through, Nero hurrying behind her, earning the yells of police officers. One officer tapped her on the shoulder, and Raven pulled a badge from her pocket.  
"MI6," she said. "I'm here on orders."  
"And the man?" One officer was desperate to follow his orders.  
"My partner. Now, step back, we'll deal with this." The officer nodded, and Raven and Nero hurried off again. When they were about 100 metres away, Nero stopped, and Raven sprinted from cover to cover. She arrived at the car, picking an unguarded spot to hide at. She climbed into the car, and surprised Nigel and Diabolus.  
"Shhh," she whispered. "We need to get out of here. About 100 metres away, Max is behind an upturned sign, get there and you're safe." Nigel nodded.  
"What about Leo and Alina?" Diabolus asked.  
"I'll sort it out," Raven said, and evil glint in her eye. Diabolus and Nigel hurried away, and Raven crawled from the car. She snuck behind the guards, where most of them were engrossed in watching the beating of Leo and Alina. Raven began to slowly remove them of their weapons, and when one man finally did turn around, he saw a pile of handguns a few metres away, and Raven standing facing them with two SMG's aiming at the guards.  
"I suggest you put your hands up," Raven said coldly, and the guards did. "Thank you. Now, down on your hands and knees, and put your foreheads to the ground." They did as told once again. "Now, stay there. For your own good." Raven walked through the guards who were frozen to the ground in fear, and straight to Leo and Alina. She gently shook them, but neither moved. Raven suddenly heard a movement behind her, and she saw a guard scurrying over to the pile of weapons. Raven took careful aim, and fired.  
"I said to stay there." Raven swung the two SMG's over her shoulder and picked up Leo and Alina, one in each arm. She jogged off, reaching Nero, Diabolus and Nigel soon. She knelt down, and Nero smiled at her. He reached out, and gently pulled Alina from Raven. The four got up again with the two young children being carried, and they hurried away, with Raven continually checking over her shoulder. They soon arrived back at the relative safety of the barricade, and Raven had a quick word to the police.  
"It's safe to go in, and I think you'll find the men in there perfectly happy to obey you. Just mention me if they seem a little rowdy."  
"And what do we call you?" The officer asked in reply. He looked to where Raven had been standing, only to see that Raven had disappeared. The man looked around, confused, but he shrugged, and waved his men over, outlining the plan to subdue the men.

Raven looked down briefly to the boy cradled in her arms. He was 11, nearly 12, and yet he seemed so small, innocent, and insignificant. Raven almost felt bad for involving both he and his sister in this ongoing war she was battling through. She looked back up, and realised they were approaching the car and then realised Nero was watching her. A question formed on his lips, but before he could ask, Raven waved it away with a smile. Nero smiled too, and the pair moved apart, Raven stepping into the drivers seat, Nero into the front passengers. Both Darkdooms' climbed into the back seats, and each held carefully, one of the twins. Raven sped the car in the opposite direction to that of the recently destroyed car, and towards a safe location she had found hours before. While the car was traveling at almost it's top speed, Raven heard a croak from the back.  
"Alina?" Nero turned to see who it was. Leo had semi-woken from his unconsciousness, and was worried about his sister.  
"It's alright, Leo," Nigel said, comfortingly. "She's with my dad." Leo slowly turned his head and saw Alina lying still, curled up against Diabolus Darkdoom. He watched her for a few minutes, before he started to black out again. Nigel helped him to sit up, where he realised he was hurting all over. He cried out slightly, and this time, both Nero and Raven looked behind them. Nigel smiled at the two, and he gently wrapped his frail arms around the small boy, enveloping him in a warm hug. Leo closed his eyes, and tried to forget about the pain across his cheek and through his chest until he could tell someone about it. He soon fell asleep against Nigel, silent tears pouring from his eyes.

After endless hours of driving, Raven pulled the car into a long winding driveway. The road here was dark and unlit, and only Raven's instincts guided her safely down the road. Raven knew that in this location, they were safe for the night. No one would dare find them in this location in the pitch black. Raven drove the car to a stop, and she sat back in her seat, resting for a few brief moments. After this silence, she sat straight again, and opened the car door. The three men in the car followed suit, and, carefully in the case of Nigel and Diabolus, the four adults walked towards a small hut, barely visible through the darkness. Raven walked in first, and turned on the dim lights. The windows were all blacked out, and the light bulbs flickered before fully switching on.  
"Welcome to paradise, boys." Raven called out, gesturing to a sign hanging on a door frame. The sign said "Paradise". Nigel chuckled, and Leo began to stir.  
"Uh, Raven, Nero?" Both turned to face Nigel. "I don't think Leo's in such good shape." It was the first time any of the adults had been able to properly see Leo's face, and it was then they realised it was encrusted with dried blood. Leo's shirt was also stained with blood, and Nigel carefully lay him down on a table. Raven began cleaning his face with some water and tissues, while Nero checked for the source of the blood under Leo's shirt. At first sight, it was bad. On closer inspection, it was worse. Leo had three broken ribs, and fairly deep cuts along his sides. Raven set to work bandaging Leo's ribs, and cleaning the blood up while Nero searched for a new shirt for Leo. When the first aid had been completed on Leo, they all turned to Alina. Fortunately, she looked in better shape then Leo. At least, as much better as she could look after the disaster at school a few days previous. Her arm was still in a sling, and the plaster around her arm was still in one piece. There were a few minor cuts and scratches she hadn't had that morning, and there was some bruising around her shoulders. When the two twins were clean and safe again, Nigel and Diabolus sat down at another table, mugs of tea in their hands. Raven and Nero slept sitting up on the couch. Nero's arms were wrapped around Raven's waist, and Raven was asleep, her head resting on Nero's shoulder, and Nero's head gently resting on top of Raven's. No one moved more then a few centimeters for a few hours, and when they did, it was to check up on Leo and Alina. Raven stayed asleep for hours. She had been worn out by the workload that had been placed on her shoulders for so many years, and only now, in Nero's warm embrace did she feel fully safe again.


	5. The Nice Doctor

**A/N: Hello, all people out there! Sorry I haven't updated in ages, I've been busy with exams, sick, again, my grandma's been pretty sick, and so on, and so forth. But, I have got some for you, so here it is, another chapter of "The Next Generation."  
-ScottishLaura.**

Some hours later, Nero began to stir. He woke slowly, gently lifting his head off it's resting place on top of Raven's head. Raven moaned quietly, and Nero moved a hand to the top of her head, gently stroking her hair. She smiled in her sleep, and moved her head into Nero's chest. Nero smiled to himself, and hugged her closer to himself. Nero looked around the small hut, and saw the two Darkdoom's also sleeping. Diabolus was sitting against a wall, a book open in his hand. Nigel was sleeping in a chair that was sitting near a table, which was pressed against a wall. Nero seemed to be the only one awake; the twins were lying on the small camp bed where they had gently been placed the previous night. Neither had moved. Nero felt Raven move slightly beneath his arms, and he looked to her. She was peering up at Nero, smiling. Nero smiled back at her, and Raven craned her neck up towards Nero. Nero bent down and kissed Raven gently. They pulled apart.  
"That's the first kiss in almost seven years." Nero smiled.  
"And I missed you every day you were gone." Raven smiled again. She turned on the couch so she was looking directly at Nero rather then peering up at him. Nero wrapped Raven in a tight hug, and kissed her on the forehead.  
"I love you Max." Nero smiled.  
"I love you too, Natalya." Raven smiled and returned to snuggling into Nero's chest. Nero wrapped his arms around Raven again, and gently placed his head on top of Raven's. Raven twisted slightly, and sighed, closing her eyes.

Leo woke up, and immediately regretted it. He felt a tickle in his throat, and as much as he tried to ignore it, soon, he had to cough. He tried to swallow so he couldn't cough, but he just couldn't. He coughed, and then cried out on pain as he felt a searing pain in his side. He moaned, and hugged his knees to his chest. Leo heard movement near him, and someone gently turned him onto his back. Leo moaned.  
"No," He protested. "That hurts." His eyes were closed, so he didn't know who was near him.  
"Ssh, Leo, it's OK." Leo slowly opened his eyes.  
"Mum?" He asked, his voice faltering.  
"Yes, Leo. It's me. Shh, it's OK." Raven gently sat Leo up and handed him a glass of water. In it were a few dissolvable painkillers. Leo swallowed the water as fast as he could without hurting his ribs. Raven sat next to him on the camp bed, and carefully wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

From the couch, Nero watched as Raven cared for Leo. He smiled. One of the reasons Nero loved Raven as much as he did was because of her ability to care for others, even though she was a trained and hardened killer. While Raven sat next to Leo, Alina began waking up. She seemed to be in less pain then Leo, but nevertheless, she was still sore. Alina sat up and looked around. She saw Raven sitting quietly with Leo, and Nero sitting alone on the couch. She quietly sat up and walked over to Nero. She climbed onto the couch next to Nero, and Nero smiled at her. He wrapped her gently in a hug, being careful to avoid her broken arm. None of the four Nero's moved for a while, except for small position changes when stiffness was setting in. Leo and Alina had fallen asleep in the arms of either parent. Nero was also sleeping, his head lolled back against the wall. Raven was sleeping too, sitting upright, her back and head straight. She had her arms still wrapped around Leo gently.

Diabolus Darkdoom was the first person to be fully awake, and he stood, stretching. He watched for a minute as the four sleeping Nero's remained still, and he turned to Nigel. Nigel had curled into a small ball on the chair, but he remained asleep. Diabolus sighed, and walked to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. As he glanced out of the window on his way past the door, he saw at least a dozen black, armoured cars pull up surrounding the house. He swore under his breath, and rushed over to wake Nigel, and all four Nero's. Nigel barricaded the front door quickly while Raven left Nero with the twins. She hurried into the back of the house, and checked all the surroundings. There was no way out. She walked back to Nero, Diabolus and Nigel and explained.  
"They're probably going to create an explosion to knock us out, then they'll either kill us or take us captive." The other three adults nodded, while Leo and Alina remained asleep. Nero wrapped his arm around Ravens' waist.  
"In case we die today," he said, "I want you to know that I love you, Natalya." Raven smiled.  
"I love you too, Max. And I have a suspicion we won't die." Raven smiled again, and she stood on her toes, reaching up to Nero. He bent down, and kissed her. After a few moments, they separated, Nero still with his arm around Raven's waist. They walked to the twins, and sat on the couch. There was no need to explain what was happening to them, they were still fast asleep, oblivious. Suddenly, there was a massive bang, and the whole house shook. There were three consecutive blasts, each knocking the wind out of everyone in the building before the last explosion. This was bigger then the rest, and it knocked everyone in the building unconscious.

Raven woke with a groan. Her wrists were bound behind her back, her mouth was gagged, and her ankles tied. She rolled onto her side to see Nero watching her sadly. The twins were on the other side of the small cramped room, also bound and gagged. Alina's plaster cast was broken, and Leo's shirt torn into shreds. The two Darkdooms were nowhere to be seen. Nero shuffled over to Raven, and she placed her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on top, and closed his eyes.

Alina woke with a moan. Her arm hurt, and her head hurt. She blinked until her eyes focused, and looked around. Leo was lying on the floor a few meters away from her, and her mum and dad were on the other side of the room, apparently either asleep or unconscious. She sat up as well as she could, noticing that her cast was broken, her wrists and ankles were tied, and her mouth was gagged. She cried out as her arm began to throb, and Raven looked up. She saw Alina sitting up, sobbing quietly, and she crawled over. Raven sat against the wall and Alina sat on her lap, her head resting against her chest. Raven rested one arm on either side of her, lifting her arms over Alina, her wrists still bound.

Nero had woken up and watched as Raven comforted Alina. He watched Leo for a while before there was a clang, and the door swung open.  
"Up, all of you. Now." Alina looked up, and Raven hurriedly stood her up, balancing her. Leo was still unconscious, but Nero gently stood him up, supporting him. Raven looked to the guard at the door, staring him in the eyes. He shuddered.  
"Boss wants all of you out there." He gestured with his head. "He said he wants you now, and that he expects you to oblige." The guard turned around and led the way out of the room. Nero picked Leo up and carried him after Raven, Alina and the guard. A few times he moaned, but his eyes stayed closed.

After a few minutes of walking, the guard stopped at an entrance to a huge room.  
"Boss says I'm not allowed in." The door opened, and the four Nero's stepped inside. There was a chair at the far side of the room with it's back to them, and as the door closed, the chair spun, the man in it holding his hands in a triangle shape, tapping his fingers.  
"I'd say I've been expecting you, but, that would be too cheesy." He gestured to some couches. "Take a seat. I expect you've been fairly uncomfortable?" No one replied, it was a little hard to with gags on. The man continued.  
"I expect you know why I have taken these lengths to get you here, and maybe your lovely family does too?" The man looked at Nero's face, then Alina's. "Then again, maybe not." Raven cursed at the man under her breath. Fortunately, it only came out as a muffled string of grunts. The man laughed.  
"I expect you to respect me, my dear Raven." He called, before walking over to her. He held her chin in one of his hands. "So pretty. What a shame it'll all go to waste." Nero was struggling against the binds on his hands. The man laughed again. "Oh yes, and your lovely husband." The unknown man briefly turned to Nero before back to Raven. He smiled at her, and Raven muttered under her breath again. "What was that?" Raven muttered again, but louder. The man smiled evilly, and patted her on the cheek before viciously backhanding her across the face. Raven was sent sprawled sliding across the room, dazed. She looked into Nero's eyes, tears forming. She looked to Alina and the unconscious Leo. She brought up her arms and managed to just pull aside her gag.  
"I'm sorry, Max," she whispered to Nero. "Promise me one thing," she continued. "If we don't get out of here alive, tell the kids I love them so much." Nero just nodded, speechless. Raven let the gag slide back, and her eyes flickered closed. Her head slumped onto the floor, and Nero reached out to protect her. The unknown man kicked Nero to the ground, and laughed as he tried to crawl back to Raven.  
"Give up!" He called, mocking Nero. Nero pulled himself to his hands and knees, wincing.


	6. Authors Note

Hi guys!

I'm so, so, so very sorry that I haven't updated anything in ages… And to come with excuses – I've been extremely busy with my exams/upper school stuff and my Grandma has been in and out of hospital. So yes. I will work very hard to update something soon, but in less then 3 months, school will be finished for the year, and I'll have no excuse for not writing. So if I haven't updated in another 3 months, bug me until I do! :)

You guys are awesome!

-Scottie


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